Wallpaper Wednesday – Aussie Series #3 – 2018 Simpson Desert Challenge Announcement

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Here’s why we deemed March as Fat-Bike Beach Month…Mud. Spring thaw renders most of the trails in our home region unridable in March, because the spring thaw makes our trails suceptable to damage. Different regions and countries have differing rules and customs that off-road cyclists follow to protect the local trails. It’s up to each rider to learn what’s acceptable and do what’s good for the trail resources available in their region. Note : We are not promoting this kind of mudfest.

This week’s Wallpaper image is our third installment in our Aussie Image Series from Simpson Desert Challenge Champion Echart Altenkamp. Here’s what Echart has to say about his shot “This is the bike of a racer in the 2017 Simpson Desert Bike Challenge. At the end of day 3 – after some rain had turned the clay tracks of the desert into shockingly sticky mud baths. This bike weighed (88 lbs.) 40 kilos – which means it was carrying (55 lbs.) 25kg of mud (!!!).”

Press Release: Simpson Desert Bike Challenge 2018

Headline: Riders to take on the world’s largest parallel sand dune system in Australia’s premiere Desert Bike Challenge

The Australian Outback will provide a stunning backdrop for the 32nd Australian Simpson Desert Bike Challenge. Entries are now open for the five-day event that will see riders take on the world’s largest parallel sand dune system. Over nine-stages, they will traverse the Simpson Desert from west to east covering approximately 530 kilometres. Two-stages per day, fully supported by race crew, will challenge the riders whilst providing amble opportunity to experience the Outback.

The terrain will vary with every stage. The first few days will have riders tackling close to 500 sand dunes as they follow 4×4 tracks across the desert. The latter part of the race shifts gears with fast gravel riding, even though the sand dunes grow in size and the swales broaden. Race Director Martin Solms notes that the majority of the riders are now opting to use a Fatbike over the sleek XC race bike.  “The Fatbike might have been bred for snow, but truly comes alive in sandy desert conditions,” he said. This event may not be technical, but riders will be challenged with large steep sand dunes, potential headwinds and the likelihood of hot, sunny weather.

With the majority of the course on National Park land, experienced crew combine with well-marked trails to ensure all riders and support teams have minimal environmental impact. No navigation is required for race participants. Once again, the event has nominated the Royal Flying Doctor Service as the primary charity and riders and crew are encouraged to support this organisation. The RFDS offers the rural Australian communities access to medical services and has provided these services for the last 90 years.

The 2018 Desert Bike Challenge will start in South Australia on the September 25 and finish in Queensland on the September 29, 2018.

Entries are now open at www.desertchallenge.org
Race packages are available which include support crew and a 4×4 vehicle.

Contact Details:
Race Director: Martin Solms
Mobile: +61 417 759 357
Email: racedirector@desertchallenge. org
Website: http://desertchallenge.org 

Got your own Wallpaper Worthy Photo?

We love to feature your fat-bike photos from around the world!

If you’ve got a fat-bike related image that you feel is “Wallpaper Worthy”, slap it in an email with what, where, why info, as well as photographer’s credit to gomez@fat-bike.com and you, may see your creative work here! Please include a high-resolution image to preserve image quality!

About Gomez 2576 Articles
Just an old cat that rides bikes, herds pixels, ropes gnomes and sometimes writes stories. I love a good story.